How to Play FreeCell
Understanding how to play Freecell online is relatively simple to learn conceptually, and this tutorial will help those unfamiliar with the game to take to it quickly and pick up some tips along the way.
The Objective
The game’s goal is to move all your cards into the foundation cells in ascending order by suit.
Game Components
Primarily, four major components are at play on the board. They are the Tableau, the Foundation, the Free Cells, and the Deck. The deck in use is a standard 52-card deck.
The tableau is where all cards are displayed at the beginning of the game. It consists of eight columns across; four columns contain seven cards each, and the other four contain six cards each. This is where much of the card maneuvering and stack-making takes place.
The foundation is the area on the upper right-hand side of the board used to stack cards by suit, from Ace to King. This is where available cards can be removed from the tableau or the free cells area and stacked. The game is won when all 52 cards are stacked in order by suit in the foundation.
The free cells are the area of four empty cells found on the upper left-hand side of the board. This is where you can temporarily place cards to get them out of the way to make moves in the tableau or to open up cards for matching or removal into the foundation.
Game Setup
One major factor separating Freecell from other forms of Solitaire is that the cards are dealt face-up rather than face-down. Cards are dealt face-up eight columns across and repeated until all 52 cards are laid out on the tableau, leaving the foundation and the free cells empty until after the game begins.
Once the tableau is populated, the game can begin, and the player can view the last card in each column (open cards) and determine which cards can be shifted to possibly open an Ace.
Aces are required to begin populating the foundation. If the game starts with , it can be removed from the tableau and placed in the foundation’s open cell. Otherwise, you must concentrate on maneuvering cards to open up the Aces. The game moves more smoothly after all four Aces have populated the foundation, so it’s best to look ahead and see what you can do to make that happen as early as possible.
When there’s a card blocking another that can further your game’s progress, the blocking card can be removed and placed into the free cell area, opening up the card you intend to play. If all goes well, there will be an opportunity to remove that card from the free cell and use it in the tableau or shift it directly into the foundation.
Basic Rules
After the game setup, the rules can be broken down into the following four sections.
Moving Cards
Cards can be moved from the tableau to the free cells area or into the foundation, but they can also be built into color staggard stacks within the columns. You can always move at least one card from one column to another if a card with a number up from the card being moved is open and of a different color.
Building on the Tableau
Cards that can’t be placed in the foundation may be played in corresponding columns to make a stack. Stacks are groups of cards descending in number but are staggard in color. This is how you can shift cards around from column to column, exposing cards that might be able to be relocated into the foundation.
Using Free Cells
The free cells area is where you can place cards to temporarily get them out of the way. You’d do this to expose a card that can be placed into a stack or removed from the tableau and placed into the foundation.
Using free cells can be handy, but it can also become a problem in the mid to late stages of the game. There are four cells in the free cell area. For every used or occupied cell, one less card can be moved from a stack. When the free cells are full, only one card can be played at a time, which is problematic for moving stacks.
Building Foundations
Building foundations is how you can permanently remove cards from the tableau and the free cell areas. There may be occasions when you want to take a card from the foundation, but these occurrences are rare.
An Ace must be placed into the foundation cell first to begin using the foundation. For example, if you are able to place an Ace of Spades into the foundation, you can pull the next card of the same suit (in this case, the 2 of Spades) from the tableau or free cell area and place it on top of the Ace when it’s open. Aces can be placed in whichever foundation space is available.
Winning the Game
The game is won after completing all four cells in the foundation area. A completed foundation is when you have an entire suit from Ace to King present in the foundation. When all four foundations are completed, no cards are left on the tableau or in the free cells, and it’s game over.
Strategies for Success
Strategy is involved in terms of card placement, movement, and storage and is one of the addictive aspects of Freecell.
- Look Ahead: Consider what will benefit the next move or several moves.
- Use Free Cells Sparingly: Save the free cell area either as a last resort or to get a card out of the way, but you’ve already determined will be at play in a move or two. Avoid the temptation of seemingly easy progress via the free cells, as it can creep up to haunt you if those cards get stuck there.
- If you’ve cleared a column, try to place a King or a stack that starts with a King into the empty space. This helps unbury cards from underneath stacks.
- Aces: If it takes placing a card or two into the free cell area at the start of the game to get to an Ace, it’s likely to be a good decision. However, filling all four free cells with cards for the sake of an Ace could result in a quick, unsuccessful end to the game.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Concentrating on a Single Suit: Sometimes, it’s easy to concentrate on a single suit through a game after placing its Ace in the foundation. However, this has the potential to haunt you later. When possible, it’s best to try to disperse as many suits as you can into the foundation as evenly as possible.
- Concentrating on the Same Color: To make stacks, black and red cards are required to stagger within the stacks (i.e., black King, red Queen, black Jack, red 10, etc.). If you remove too much of one color, it becomes more difficult to create stacks.
- Loading up the Free Cells: This has already been mentioned but bears repetition. Throughout the game, do your best to keep the free cell area as clear of cards as possible. If you wind up loading all four spaces with cards, it becomes very difficult to make further progress without being able to move stacks.
- Blocking Progress: Avoid making moves that will block further progress. For example, if you build a large stack on a smaller valued card, it may be more difficult to progress or reach a point where you can unearth that smaller card.